Rescuers save rafter trapped on Delaware River island

Friday

May 23, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Sharon E. Siegel

By Sharon E. Siegel

A dangerous rescue from the murky, swollen waters of the Delaware River on Saturday prompted a plea and reminder from local emergency personnel on both sides of the river for people to stay off the river in high water conditions and always to wear a life jacket.

The lives of three young men were jeopardy last Saturday morning when their raft hit a log and overturned. Two of the boaters were wearing life jackets and managed to make their way ashore near Phillips Lane in Milford, Pa. The third, who was not wearing a life jacket, had to be rescued from a precarious position on a small mid-river island.

"The river was high and muddy, with debris all around. We were told he was in a tree, hanging on and going down the river. We found nothing as our boat went down the river. But on the return trip back up the river, we found the raft that they had been in," recalled Sparrowbush Assistant Chief James S. Oosterom.

Oosterom and divemaster Kevin Fisher kept going around and around the island until they were flagged down by members of a rescue team from Westfall, Pa., who had spotted the man clinging to a tree, "hanging on for dear life."

"There were lots of trees in the water where this man was," Oosterom said, "and the water was rushing fast through the small, flooded island where he was trapped."

Sparrowbush's airboat was able to make its way through the debris, and Fisher pulled the very cold, frightened man onto the boat. They took him to a waiting ambulance on shore.

Rescuers from Port Jervis and Westfall continued to search for the other two victims, whose whereabouts were still unknown at that time.

"If people would just wear life jackets on the river, and stay out of the water when it is this high, they as well as the rescuers would not have to be put in these dangers," Oosterom said.

Chief Chad Stewart of the Eastern Pike Regional Police Department said all three men — two of whom were from Brooklyn and one from Chicago — were transported to Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis.

Stewart said his officers were dispatched to Phillips Lane after the call came in at 8:26 a.m. Saturday that two victims of a rafting accident had come ashore at different locations on Phillips Lane and needed help.

Like Oosterom and other emergency personnel on scene, Stewart stressed the need for respect of the river and its conditions.

"The Delaware River is a great recreation asset. However, it must be respected, and a novice canoer or rafter should go with an experienced boater and/or listen to the professionals running the liveries along the river," Stewart said.